fyi: "Reputation Mechanisms" survey paper 2005

[=JeffH <Jeff.Hodges@neustar.biz>]

Reputation Mechanisms
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/faculty/cdell/papers/elsevierchapter.pdf

Chrysanthos Dellarocas
R. H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
cdell@rhsmith.umd.edu
June 2005
Revised: August 2005

Abstract

Reputation mechanisms harness the bi-directional
communication capabilities of the Internet in order to
engineer large-scale word-of-mouth networks. Best known so
far as a technology for building trust and fostering
cooperation in online marketplaces, such as eBay, these
mechanisms are poised to have a much wider impact on
organizations. This paper surveys our progress in
understanding the new possibilities and challenges that
these mechanisms represent. It discusses some important
dimensions in which Internet-based reputation mechanisms
differ from traditional word-of-mouth networks and surveys
the most important issues related to their design,
evaluation, and use. It provides an overview of relevant
work in game theory and economics on the topic of
reputation. It discusses how this body of work is being
extended and combined with insights from computer science,
marketing, and psychology in order to take into
consideration the special properties of online environments.
Finally, it identifies opportunities that this new area
presents for information systems research.